This invention relates to a method and apparatus for assisting persons in transferring into and out of a bed.
The act of transferring into and out of a bed, as well as maneuvering in the bed may be difficult for some persons, particularly those who are elderly or disabled.
As a result, a wide variety of manual support devices, which are associated with a bedframe, have been provided.
However, these prior devices are often cumbersome, unstable, expensive, and difficult to store.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to facilitate the transfer of persons into and out of a bed, and maneuvering with respect to the bed.
Another object of the invention is to assist persons who have difficulty in transferring into and out of a bed, as well as maneuvering in the bed, particularly those who are elderly or disabled.
A further object of the invention is to overcome the objections associated with a wide variety of currently-available manual support devices which are attachable to a bedframe.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a bed transfer device that is not cumbersome, expensive, and difficult to store and use.
Yet another object is to stabilize bedframes.
In accomplishing the foregoing and related objects, the invention for assisting transfer into and out of a bed by providing a handle for engagement by a person seeking to transfer into or out of a bed; positioning the handle aside the bed; and counteracting torque exerted by the handle when a person is seeking to transfer into or out of the bed.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention the positioning is by a member positioned under a component of the bed, for example, an elongated tubular member which is attached to the handle.
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the counteraction of torque is by an elongated member associated with the handle and the positioning member, and positioned at a right angle in relations to an elongated tubular member attached to the handle. The counteracting member can be an elongated bar that is slidably inserted through an aperture of the combination of the handle and the positioning member.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, the handle can be a tubular member that extends from a first positioning member, which can be tubular, to a second positioning member, which also can be tubular. The handle can be asymmetric and reversible with respect to the first and second positioning members.
In accordance with a method of the invention for assisting transfer into and out of a bed, the steps include (a) providing a handle for engagement by a person seeking to transfer into or out of a bed; (b) positioning the handle aside the bed and attaching it to a member for securing the handle with respect to the bed, and (c) counteracting torque exerted by the handle when a person is seeking to transfer into or out of a bed.
The method can include the step of positioning and attaching the handle under a component of the bed to an elongated tubular member. The attaching step can provide for removably attaching the handle. The method provides for counteracting torque by inserting an elongated member with respect to the handle and the positioning member, with the elongated member positioned at a right angle to the elongated member and slidably inserted through an aperture of the combination of the handle and the positioning member.
The method also includes the step of providing the handle as a tubular member that extends from a first positioning member, as an elongated tube, to a second positioning member, as an elongated tube. The handle can be an asymmetric and reversible member with respect to the first and second positioning members.